Fadu said on March 23 it has hired Seoul National University computer engineering professor Kim Jin-soo (김진수) as chief research officer (CRO) as it expands into AI data centre storage.

Kim, the new CRO, is a specialist who has researched computer architecture and system software at Seoul National University. He has results from industry-academia cooperation in both large-scale storage software and system design, including playing a key role in developing Naver's file system.

A research team led by Kim will be responsible for developing next-generation storage systems specialised for AI data centres and dedicated SSDs. Fadu plans to develop solutions that meet AI workload requirements for large capacity, ultra-fast speed and high efficiency through integrated hardware-software design, or co-design. Research has already begun, and it plans to unveil its first proof of concept (POC) this year.

Fadu said it will use the CRO appointment as a turning point, moving beyond supplying SSD controllers to designing and providing an entire storage architecture tailored to AI workloads. It aims to address demands that existing general-purpose storage products do not meet through integrated hardware-software design.

Kim said, "Fadu is a company that has already had its technology validated in the global AI data centre ecosystem," adding, "I want to open up new possibilities for next-generation storage together from the perspective of computer architecture and system software."

Chief executive Nam Yi-hyun (남이현) said, "The technological capabilities and market trust built in enterprise SSDs are now translating into full-fledged business results," adding, "It is meaningful to begin a new challenge in AI data centre storage together with CRO Kim Jin-soo." Nam added, "We will grow into a core company that will be indispensable in future AI data centres by innovating the entire storage system beyond SSDs."